Arizona reporter claims removal from Department of Education office

PHOENIX — A reporter with the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting claimed he was physically removed from a state Department of Education office while trying to inspect school letter grade records on Thursday.

The reporter, Evan Wyloge, posted a tweet on Friday that said, “Today I was forcibly removed from the Department of Education by security after asking to inspect records.”

The tweet also linked to an article on the Center for Investigative Reporting website, which said an unnamed security guard told Wyloge that he was “trespassing and pushed him out of the public building after the reporter asked to speak with staff about inspecting public records.”

The department did not respond to a request for comment from KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday.

On Friday, officials released the school letter grade records that Wyloge was initially searching for.

According to Arizona law, “public records and other matters in the custody of any officer shall be open to inspection by any person at all times during office hours.”